Vancouver Travel Tips: Useful Information For Your Upcoming Trip!

Need Vancouver travel tips for your upcoming trip?

Having lived in Vancouver the majority of my life and returning several times a year to visit my family, I consider myself to know the city quite well. I thought it was about time I shared some handy Vancouver travel tips to my lovely hometown since many people ask about visiting Vancouver.

When to go

Every destination says that they are a year-round destination, but Vancouver truly is. If you love winter and snow sports, come from December through March to go skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and more. If you love warm weather, visit in July through September for sunny days and late nights on the patio (the sun sets around 10 pm in the summer). Spring is a good time if you’re a nature lover. You can see the cherry blossoms bloom in March and in the fall you can see the leaves change color.

Vancouver Travel Tips: Before You Arrive

If you are coming from another country including the USA, you do need a passport to enter the country and then you will have to go through customs and immigration. Some countries may require a visa so pleaseclick here for more info.

If you are driving in there are a handful of border crossings and there are websites to check the crossing times.

If you are flying into Vancouver International Airport, you will go through immigration and then pick up your luggage after you have cleared customs and immigration. At the airport, there is money exchange, ATM machines, stores, as well as a 7-11 on the bottom floor.

If you are not taking a plane or driving, you can come via Amtrak, Rocky Mountaineer (usually May through October) via Washington State or by Quick Shuttle or Greyhound buses. I have not taken the train before but the bus and at the border, all passengers disembark the bus and go through immigration at the border crossing.

I’ve not arrived via cruise ship so I am not sure what happens but I’m assuming there is some sort of immigration process when coming into the port of Vancouver (apologies for the lack of information).

The Spirit of Haida Gwaii by Bill Reid at Vancouver International Airport

Vancouver Travel Tips: Getting Into City

You can either rent a car at the airport, get picked up, take a taxi, or take the Skytrain (Vancouver’s version of a subway). Uber, Lyft, etc does not exist in Vancouver so you are best to rely on pricey taxis if you prefer to be in a car.

If you are renting a car and you are looking to save money, I would rent away from the airport. I rented a car at the train station and the price difference was over $50 a day during Christmas.

The best and least expensive way to get into the city is to take the Skytrain from the airport to downtown Vancouver. When you get out of the airport, go out of the doors, walk across the crosswalk, go up the escalator/elevator to the departures level, and follow the sites for Skytrain. It costs less than $9 and takes about 30 minutes. There is a ticket machine that you can buy a ticket from. Be sure to buy tickets, there are random ticket checks on the Skytrain and fines are about $150 from what I hear.

Taxis into downtown, depending on traffic, range up to $35 or more, not including tip. I believe the taxi companies are doing set fares so ask before you start your ride.

Skytrain from Vancouver Airport

Vancouver Travel Tips: Getting Around The City

If you are renting a car in Vancouver, it’s pretty easy to get around. Parking is fairly straightforward and you can either park in a parking garage, a lot, on the street for free, or metered parking. All parking meters in Vancouver go until 10 pm at night so be armed with coins. Prices vary depending on the neighborhood. There is an app named “Pay By Phone” which allows you to refill your meter by credit card and entering the parking meter number. It’s the best thing ever but please note you do have to remember your license plate number!!

You don’t have to get a rental car if you plan on staying central. It’s easy to walk around the city since the downtown area is compact and you can get around via taxi, bus, SkyTrain, and/or Car2Go. You can also use Zipcar if you want to just use a car for a few hours. Bus fare is about $2.75 for a single zone and it costs more to go out to the suburbs during rush hour so check the Translink website for exact fare details.

Car2Go

If you are wanting to cross False Creek from downtown over to Granville Island or Olympic Village, take the Aquabus. It’s fairly cheap and really scenic water taxi.

Vancouver Travel Tips: Miscellaneous Helpful Tips

It is the same voltage as the USA – 120 V

You can bring in 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, and 7 ounces of tobacco; 1 bottle (1.14 liters or 40 imperial ounces) of liquor or 1.5 liters of wine, or 24 355-milliliter (12-ounce) bottles or cans of beer for personal consumption. Anything more and you will be subject to taxes, duties, etc.

You can bring in gifts with a value of up to $60 Canadian per gift.

And these are some helpful tips for your next visit to Vancouver. I will try to stay on top of these as time goes on and update information as things change. Do you know any helpful tips for traveling to Vancouver? Do you have any specific questions you are wondering? Leave them in the comments and I’ll be sure to respond!

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Round The World Girl is a blog by Arnette, a solo female traveler, lover of adventure, coffee, tropical islands, and unforgettable meals. She shares a retrospective of her 19 month, 19 country round the world trip, adventures both near and far, destination guides, helpful tips and tricks for travel, as well as tips and reviews of her favorite things.

About Me

Hi! I'm Arnette, a solo female traveler, lover of adventure, coffee, tropical islands, and unforgettable meals. This blog is where I share a retrospective of my 19 month, 19 country round the world trip, new adventures both near and far, destination guides, reviews, and helpful tips and tricks for travel. I hope I can inspire you to explore more locally or across the globe.